'The Twilight Saga': A refresher course

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

Updated 3:21 PM ET, Fri November 16, 2012

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

In 2008, "Twilight" was known only as a low-budget romantic drama based on a popular young adult series. But both the novels and the films have gone on to become a major part of the pop culture zeitgeist. See what the cast has been up to since then.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Kristen Stewart wasn't the celebrity gossip subject she is today. She was best known for working smaller dramatic projects like "Into the Wild," "The Yellow Handkerchief" and "In the Land of Women."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

The success of the films helped Stewart become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. She and costar Robert Pattinson had a high-profile romance that in 2014 he confirmed had ended. Her film "Equals" premiered during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and she is set to work with Woody Allen for an as-yet-untitled movie planned for 2016.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

When Pattinson showed up at the Los Angeles premiere of the first "Twilight" film in 2008, he probably caused some "Harry Potter" fans to wonder whether Cedric Diggory, the character he portrayed in 2005's film version of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," was lost.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Pattinson has since appeared in such projects as "The Rover" and "Queen of the Desert," which costarred James Franco and Nicole Kidman. He's also appeared as the face of Dior Homme fragrance and pursued his love of music.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

In the weeks leading up to "Twilight's" 2008 premiere, Taylor Lautner was 16 and looked every bit of it. His name up to this point was probably best associated with the 2005 kids' movie "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Lautner went a little lighter after the "Twilight" films, appearing in a small role in "Grown Ups 2" in 2013 and on the TV comedy series "Cuckoo" in 2014.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

When actress Ashley Greene walked the red carpet for the L.A. premiere of "Max Payne" in October 2008, it would be one of the last times she'd circulate at a Hollywood event without any "Twi"-mania.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Greene has kept busy in films like Zach Braff's 2014 "Wish I Was Here" and has lent her voice to a few video games.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Nikki Reed, seen here at the L.A. premiere of "Twilight" in 2008, was already famous as the wild child teen friend of Evan Rachel Wood's character in the 2003 indie "Thirteen." "Twilight" was a reunion for Reed and Catherine Hardwicke, who directed both films and co-wrote "Thirteen" with Reed.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

In 2015, Reed became a regular cast member on season 3 of "Sleepy Hollow," in which she portrays Betsy Ross. She also engendered the envy of many a fan when she married "Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder in April 2015.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Actor and model Kellan Lutz had landed roles on the small screen -- "The Comeback," "Summerland" -- as well as on the silver screen -- "Stick It," "Accepted" -- before he appeared in the first "Twilight" film in 2008.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Lutz starred as the voice of Tarzan in the 2013 animated film and in "The Legend of Hercules" the following year. He also had a role in the TV series "The Comeback."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Like Lutz, Jackson Rathbone had been working in TV before landing the role of vampire Jasper Hale in "Twilight." When he arrived for the movie's L.A. premiere in November 2008, he'd appeared in "The O.C." and "Beautiful People."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Rathbone went on to play Sokka in "The Last Airbender" in 2010. He has also had roles in a few television shows and appeared as Nick Green in the web series "Aim High."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

It's arguable that Peter Facinelli brought some star power to the first "Twilight" film. He had a lengthy résumé ahead of 2008's first installment, with a starring role on "Fastlane" and appearances on "Damages" and "Six Feet Under," as well as movies like "Can't Hardly Wait."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Facinelli has worked steadily on TV shows like "Nurse Jackie" and "Glee." In 2013, he made headlines when he and his wife, "Beverly Hills 90210" star Jennie Garth, divorced. He's now engaged to "Blindspot" star Jaimie Alexander. His short-lived NBC drama "American Odyssey" was canceled in June 2015.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Elizabeth Reaser looked familiar to "Grey's Anatomy" fans when she arrived at the premiere of "Twilight's" L.A. premiere in November 2008 because she'd just wrapped a recurring guest role on the hit ABC medical series.

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Television has continued to be good to Reaser, bringing roles on series including "The Good Wife," "Mad Men" and "True Detective."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Billy Burke was known primarily for TV work before he landed the role of Bella Swan's father in the "Twilight" franchise. He had numerous credits to his name, including "Gilmore Girls," "24," and "Wonderland."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Burke has kept up with his TV grind with high-profile roles on "Rizzoli & Isles," "Revolution," "Major Crimes" and "Zoo."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

The 2008 L.A. premiere for "Twilight" was just the tip of the red carpet iceberg for a then-23-year-old Anna Kendrick. Although she had just a handful of credits to her name, she was about to get a grand introduction the following year with an Oscar nod for "Up in the Air."

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Photos:'Twilight' stars: Then and now

Kendrick's star has continued to rise with the smash "Pitch Perfect" film series. She's also done pretty well with movies like "Into the Woods" and "Cake."

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Story highlights

"The Twilight Saga" gets a bit complicated toward the end

The prior four films have been building up to this weekend's "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2"

Writer authors a "refresher course" for those who need to catch up

Vampires that sparkle, a human/vampire hybrid baby and something called a Volturi -- even a fan would admit that "The Twilight Saga" gets complicated toward the end.

What begins as a pretty standard girl-meets-vampire love story quickly evolves into a girl/vampire/shape-shifter love triangle, one that eventually includes a memorable (as in, we're still trying to forget) at-home birth scene.

All of that leads up to the final "Twilight Saga" installment, "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2." With the final chapter now in theaters, some of you might be in need of a brief refresher. You can always speed-read Stephenie Meyer's four novels or spend at least eight hours watching the first four films, but why do that when we've broken it all down for you here?

Let's start with basics -- what's a Bella Swan?

First, you're forgiven if you have absolutely zero firsthand knowledge about this character. Honestly, it's admirable you've been able to avoid "Twilight" for this long. Slow clap for that.

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Isabella "Bella" Swan (Kristen Stewart) is the heart, eyes and voice of "Twilight." At the start of the series she's a 17-year-old girl who relocates from Arizona to Forks, Washington, to live with her dad when her mom remarries.

Bella is awkward and accident-prone and never really feels in step with everyone else, but these are qualities that make her endearing in the "Twilight" world. She quickly falls for ....

The vampire Edward Cullen

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is a vampire who's been around for the past century, but he's also eternally 17. He lives with his vampire "family" that's been cultivated over the years by "Twilight's" HVIC (head vampire in charge), Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli).

They eat animals rather than humans -- their version of vegetarianism -- and being a vampire for them means sparkling "like diamonds" when in sunlight. Edward can also read minds, with Bella's being the exception, and Alice (Ashley Greene), gets visions about the future.

Meyer certainly puts her own spin on vampire lore, but Edward's still a would-be killer, and he does want to kill Bella at first. (Romance!)

When Bella figures out Edward's secret, she remains pretty calm about his vampirism -- even though he admits to thirsting for her blood, which to him basically smells like doughnuts to a dieter.

Edward gets over the "I want to eat you" thing as he gets to know Bella and as she's constantly put into life-threatening situations. The ever-present vampires out to kill Bella are problematic, considering that these two say they can't live without one another. They're each other's "personal brand[s] of heroin," if you will, and they're both strung out.

As best we can tell, this sentiment is established after an impromptu dinner date, some chaste sleepovers and Edward saving her from the natural -- an out-of-control car -- and the supernatural -- vampires, including his own brother at Bella's 18th birthday party. By then, Edward can't deal with endangering her all the time and he bails.

Bella falls into deep despair, but soon realizes she can conjure visions of Edward rescuing her if she puts herself in dangerous situations. This leads to a cliff-jumping and near-drowning incident that causes Alice to believe that Bella's dead, and word works its way back to Edward.

The Volturi, which in the movies includes the lovely Dakota Fanning and esteemed Michael Sheen, are a group of lethal (and nattily dressed) vampires who instill a sense of order in "Twilight's" vampire universe and shield it from being exposed. Going against their laws is a great way to get killed.

Since Edward can't bear living without his soulmate Bella, he goes to Volturi home base in Italy on a suicide mission, ready to expose himself as a vampire and attract the Volturi's wrath.

Bella shows up in time to stop Edward, but the Volturi consider her a risk thanks to her extensive knowledge of the vampires' ways. Alice saves her life by revealing a vision that Bella will soon become a vampire, a transformation Bella's wanted since the first movie, anyway. That way she would be with Edward for eternity and never age to boot. Edward, however, is against it -- as is Jacob, the other guy.

Here's where the girl/wolf/vampire triangle comes in

Jacob Black, played by the supremely sculpted Taylor Lautner, is Quileute and has a gene that causes him to shape-shift into a wolf when vampires are in town. His friendship with Bella deepened when Edward left, and his feelings turn romantic.

He makes a strong case for Bella's affections, and by "Eclipse" has the girl so confused she winds up kissing him. To be fair, she was worried about what would happen to him in a standoff between the Cullens and a new army of vamps created by a vengeful Victoria. (She was out for Bella's blood ever since Edward killed her lover James in "Twilight.")

But even after that, Jacob still gets second place to Edward, whom Bella agrees to marry.

The birth from "Twilight" hell

Bella and Edward didn't have sex until after they got married because of Edward's old-fashioned ways (the guy's been around since 1901, after all). Plus he was worried he'd crush her to death in the heat of the moment. (Again, with the romance.)

The deal was to turn Bella into a vampire after she tied the knot, but they hold off a bit so she can experience her wedding night without the distraction of unquenchable bloodthirst.

After Edward swept Bella away to a family-owned island for their honeymoon, the sex "Twilight" fans devoured three books and three movies for finally happens. Bella's bruised, but satisfied ... and also pregnant.

Through some technicalities that were never covered in our sex education class, Bella and Edward made a hybrid baby, which means the part-vampire fetus slowly kills her from the inside. In what somehave readas an anti-abortion plotline, Bella insists on keeping her baby against the wishes of loved ones, including Edward. The majority of "Breaking Dawn -- Part I" chronicles Bella's torturous pregnancy, which demands that she drink a steady diet of blood .... even before she actually becomes a vampire.

OK, you're caught up now

Giving birth to a vampire/human child is a spine-breaking horror show, one so gory that Edward had no choice but to turn Bella into a vampire to save her.

But before they can be a happy, mostly vampire family with their new baby Renesmee -- who ages at a much faster rate than a human child -- the threat of the Volturi rises once again.

And that's where we pick things up in "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2." The last installment has not only promised us an epic battle and a twist ending, but Bella finding out about Jacob's "imprinting," when he becomes uncontrollably attached to baby Renesmee on sight and completely devoted to her for life.